Basic Cooking Terms

Here are some basic cooking terms and their descriptions.

Bake -To cook in an oven

Boil -To heat a food so that the liquid gets hot enough for bubbles to rise and break the

surface

Broil -To cook under direct heat

Brown -To cook over medium or high heat until surface of food browns or darkens

Preheat -To turn oven on ahead of time so that it is at the desired temperature when needed

(usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes)

Sauté -To cook quickly in a little oil, butter, or margarine

Simmer -To cook in liquid over low heat (low boil) so that bubbles just begin to break the

surface

Steam -To cook food over steam without putting the food directly in water (usually done

with a steamer)

Stir Fry -To quickly cook small pieces of food over high heat while constantly stirring the food

until it is crisply tender (usually done with a wok)

 GLOSSARY OF COOKING TERMS

AL DENTE:
Italian term used to describe pasta that is cooked until it offers a slight resistance to the bite.

BAKE:
To cook by dry heat, usually in the oven.

BARBECUE:
Usually used generally to refer to grilling done outdoors or over an open charcoal or wood fire. More
specifically, barbecue refers to long, slow direct- heat cooking, including liberal basting with a barbecue
sauce.

BASTE:
To moisten foods during cooking with pan drippings or special sauce to add flavor and prevent drying.

BATTER:
A mixture containing flour and liquid, thin enough to pour.

BLANCH:
To immerse in rapidly boiling water and allow to cook slightly.

BOIL:
To heat a liquid until bubbles break continually on the surface.

BROIL:
To cook on a grill under strong, direct heat.

CARAMELIZE:
To heat sugar in order to turn it brown and give it a special taste.

CLARIFY:
To separate and remove solids from a liquid, thus making it clear.

CURE:
To preserve meats by drying and salting and/or smoking.
DEGLAZE:
To dissolve the thin glaze of juices and brown bits on the surface of a pan in which food has been fried,
sauteed or roasted. To do this, add liquid and stir and scrape over high heat, thereby adding flavor to the
liquid for use as a sauce.

DISSOLVE:
To cause a dry substance to pass into solution in a liquid.

DRIZZLE:
To sprinkle drops of liquid lightly over food in a casual manner.

FLAMBE':
To flame foods by dousing in some form of potable alcohol and setting alight.

FRICASSEE:
To cook by braising; usually applied to fowl or rabbit.

FRY:
To cook in hot fat. To cook in a fat is called pan-frying or sauteing; to cook in a one-to-two inch layer of
hot fat is called shallow-fat frying; to cook in a deep layer of hot fat is called deep-fat frying.

GLAZE:
To cook with a thin sugar syrup cooked to crack stage; mixture may be thickened slightly. Also, to cover
with a thin, glossy icing.

GRATIN:
From the French word for "crust." Term used to describe any oven-baked dish--usually cooked in a
shallow oval gratin dish--on which a golden brown crust of bread crumbs, cheese or creamy sauce is
form.

GRILL:
To cook on a grill over intense heat.

LUKEWARM:
Neither cool nor warm; approximately body temperature.

MEUNIERE:
Dredged with flour and sauteed in butter.
PAN-BROIL:
To cook uncovered in a hot fry pan, pouring off fat as it accumulates.

PAN-FRY:
To cook in small amounts of fat.

PARBOIL:
To boil until partially cooked; to blanch. Usually this procedure is followed by final cooking in a seasoned
sauce.

PICKLE:
To preserve meats, vegetables, and fruits in brine.

PLUMP:
To soak dried fruits in liquid until they swell.

POACH:
To cook very gently in hot liquid kept just below the boiling point.

REDUCE:
To boil down to reduce the volume.

REFRESH:
To run cold water over food that has been parboiled, to stop the cooking process quickly.

RENDER:
To make solid fat into liquid by melting it slowly.

ROAST:
To cook by dry heat in an oven.

SAUTE:
To cook and/or brown food in a small amount of hot fat.

SCALD:
To bring to a temperature just below the boiling point.

SCALLOP:
To bake a food, usually in a casserole, with sauce or other liquid. Crumbs often are sprinkled over.
SEAR:
To brown very quickly by intense heat. This method increases shrinkage but develops flavor and
improves appearance.

SIMMER:
To cook slowly in liquid over low heat at a temperature of about 180°. The surface of the liquid should
be barely moving, broken from time to time by slowly rising bubbles.

SKIM:
To remove impurities, whether scum or fat, from the surface of a liquid during cooking, thereby
resulting in a clear, cleaner-tasting final produce.

STEAM:
To cook in steam in a pressure cooker, deep well cooker, double boiler, or a steamer made by fitting a
rack in a kettle with a tight cover. A small amount of boiling water is used, more water being added
during steaming process, if necessary.

STEEP:
To extract color, flavor, or other qualities from a substance by leaving it in water just below the boiling
point.

STERILIZE:
To destroy micro organisms by boiling, dry heat, or steam.

STEW:
To simmer slowly in a small amount of liquid for a long time.

TRUSS:
To secure poultry with string or skewers, to hold its shape while cooking.
Cooking Definitions

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Aerate
To incorporate air to make ingredients lighter. Sifting
flour is an example of the process. Whipped butter is
another. Air is whipped in, thus making the butter
lighter and increase in volume.
Aging
Keeping meats and a or cheese in a controlled
environment for a specific amount of time in a
controlled and ventilated atmosphere to permit natural
flavoring and tenderizing.
Al dente
"To the tooth," in Italian. Pasta is cooked just to a firm
and chewy texture.
Allemande
In French Cooking it means in the German style. Sauce
Allemande is made from veal stock, cream, egg yolks
and lemon juice.
Aromatics
Seasonings to enhance the flavor and aroma usually
herbs and spices and some vegetables.
Aspic
A transparent meat flavored jelly/jello that is firm when
cold. Used to flavor and add moisture to pate,
charcutière and cold food preparations.
Au Jus
This is the natural pan drippings or juice that comes
from a roasting pan after deglazing.
Bacteria
Microscopic organisms, some of which can cause
sickness including food-borne infections. Others can be
perfectly safe and help tenderize or even add flavor.
The blue veining in cheese is an example of the "good"
type.
Bake
To cook in the oven as baking a cake, but also may be
used in meat cookery such as baked leg of lamb.
Baste
To brush or spoon liquid fat or juices over meat, fish
poultry or vegetables during cooking to help keep
moisture on the surface area.
Batter
A mixture of flour and liquid that is beaten or stirred in
preparation of baking, i.e. cake batter.
Beat
Briskly whipping or stirring it with a spoon, fork, wire
whisk, beater or mixer.
Beurre Noir
Heating salted butter until dark brown and foamy but
not smoking. A type of butter sauce called black butter
sauce.
Bias-slice
Slicing a food crosswise at a 45-degree angle.
Bind
To thickening a sauce or hot liquid by stirring in
ingredients such as roux, flour, butter, cornstarch, egg
yolks, vegetable puree or cream.
Bisque
A rich thick shellfish soup with cream.
Blackened
Cajun-style cooking method in which highly seasoned
foods are dipped in liquid butter then cooked over high
heat in a super-heated heavy skillet until charred.
Blanch
To partially cook vegetables by parboiling them in highly
salted water then cooling quickly in ice water.
Blend
Mixing two or more ingredients together to obtain an
equally distributed mixture.
Boil
To heat water or other liquids to 212 degrees
Fahrenheit, 100 degrees Celsius and to keep it bubbling
and shimmering in the pot.
Bouillabaisse
A Mediterranean fish soup made from several varieties
of fish, tomatoes, saffron, fennel and wine.
Bouillon
Clear soup made from slow simmering lean meat, bones
and seasonings and vegetables. Strained and served
with the shredded cooked meat it was made from.
Bouquet Garni
A bundle of seasonings; bay leaf, thyme and parsley
stems tied with leeks, carrot and celery stalk. It's used
to season braised foods and stocks.
Braise
Meat browned in fat with vegetables, seasonings and
then cooked slowly in liquid so it is partially submerged
then cooked in an oven, this combines moist and dry
heat cooking. Making a pot roast is an example.
Bread
To coat the food with bread crumbs. Standard method
is to first dip in salted flour, then beaten egg and then
bread crumbs. Items prepared like this are usually pan
fried in oil or clarified butter until golden and crispy.
Broil
To cook food directly under a very hot 500 degree F.
heat source.
Broth or stock
A liquid made by gently simmering meats, fish, or
vegetables and/or their by-products, such as bones and
trimming with herbs, in liquid, usually water. Broths
usually have a higher proportion of meat to bones than
stock.
Brown
A quick sautéing/searing done either at the beginning
or end of meal preparation, often to enhance flavor,
texture, or eye appeal.
Brush
To coat food with melted butter, glaze, or other liquid
using a pastry brush.
Bundt pan
The name for a tube baking pan having fluted sides.
Buttercream
A frosting made from sugar, sweet butter, milk, egg
yolks and flavoring. Confectioner's or powdered sugar is
often used buy not required.
Butterfly
To cut food down the center without cutting all the way
through to open and then spread it apart. Shrimp cut
this way is popular. Meat may be butterflied when
cooking it well done so it isn't burned during the
process as if it remained thick.
Cake pan
Round baking pan with straight sides. It comes in 8", 9"
and other sizes.
Calamari
Plural for squid in Italian.
Caramel
Brunt sugar used for sauces, coloring, flavoring and
candy.
Caramelization
Natural sugars turn brown when exposed to direct heat
over a flame, with or without the addition of some oil to
aid the process. Onions when fried in butter over high
heat causes them to turn brown and have a sweet
toasted flavor. Carrots in a roasting pan turn golden
with a roast chicken. This process and color change
from raw to cooked is carmelization.
Caramelize
The process of cooking sugar until it begins to color.
Also, while slowly cooking some vegetables e.g. onions,
root vegetables, the natural sugars are released and the
vegetables will caramelize in their own sugars, usually
oil is used in the pan to help the process.
Chicory
A lettuce used for salad and sometimes called curly
endive. Also added to coffee in the deep South.
Chiffon
Usually a pureed filling made light and fluffy with
beaten egg whites, gelatin and or whipped cream.
Lemon chiffon pie is one example.
Chiffonade
Lettuces, sorrel, basil leaves and other leafy vegetables
cut into julienne strips.
Chinoise
A very fine conical wire mesh strainer. Using a chinoise
removes the small impurities from the liquid that is
strained. It is a must in any professional kitchen.
Chop
To cut into irregular pieces with no set size as a result.
Chopping parsley is a good example.
Cilantro
Parsley like herb with a basil, mint and green onion
flavor, popular in Chinese and Mexican/Latin cuisine
Clarify
A process of making a liquid clear by adding beaten egg
whites, ground meat and tomato, then simmering
slowly. The liquid is then strained and the result is
consommé. Also---melting butter over medium heat so
the milk solids settle to the bottom and impurities float
to the top. The foamy top is discarded and pure golden
liquid butter is ladled off into a clean container for other
cooking uses.
Coat
Evenly covering food with flour, crumbs, herbs, oil or
batter.
Coddle
To cook slowly and gently in a liquid just below the
boiling point. Usually eggs are coddled when making
traditional Caesar salad to help them absorb and
emulsify evenly with the lemon juice and olive oil.
Coddled eggs for breakfast a different than poached as
they relatively soft but fully heated through.
Combine
The mixing of two or more ingredients into a single
mixture.
Confit
Slowly cook pieces of meat in their own gently rendered
fat until very soft and tender. With seasonings,
brandy/wine and sometimes vegetables. Duck and pork
are two popular meats to be used in confit. When
cooked and cooled the meat is keep submerged in its
cooking fat as a preservative and as a seal against
oxygen.
Concasse
Applying to raw or cooked tomatoes: Peeled, seeded
and diced/chopped fine, raw; or then sautéed with
minced onions in olive oil, cooked.
Core
To remove the inedible center of fruits such apples and
pears.
Cream
To beat vegetable shortening, butter, or margarine,
with or without sugar, until light and fluffy.
Crimp
To create a decorative edge on a piecrust, also seal the
edges together.
Crisp
To restore the crunch to vegetables such as celery and
lettuce. This can be done with an ice water bath. Stale
crackers can be crisped in a medium oven. Also a type
of a pan baked dessert made of cooked fruit with a
crunchy flour and sugar topping. Apple or peach crisp
are examples.
Croquettes
Chopped seasoned food held together by cream sauce,
eggs, flour/breadcrumbs, shaped and then breaded
with bread crumbs and deep fried. Crab cakes that are
deep fried, not sautéed are really crab croquettes.
Crush
To reduce a food to small particles, usually using a
mortar and pestle, rolling pin or bottom of a pot. To
crush crackers you may place them in a double bag and
roll a rolling pin over them.
Crystallize
To form sugar or honey syrups into crystals buy cooking
it to hard crack and letting it cool on an oiled surface.
The term also describes a sugar coating surrounding a
fruit dipped in a egg white and granulated sugar
mixture.
Cube
To cut in even pieces. May be 1/4 inch/ 1/2 inch or 1
inch. Sides must be of even size to be conceded cubed.
This is a description used in dicing as an exact dice.
Curd
Custard-like pie or tart filling made with whole eggs,
sugar,juice and zest of citrus the fruit, usually lemon.
May also be the solidified nuggets of milk after citric
acid has been added and rennet introduced. The
curding process is an important stage in the cheese
making process.
Curdle
Separation of a milk/cream based sauce or the cooking
of eggs when over cooked. Sauces look like egg drop
soup when curdled.
Cure
Marinating to preserve an ingredient with salt and/or
sugar and spices. Preparing gravlax, marinated salmon,
is an example of curing.
Custard
A mixture of beaten egg, egg yolks, milk, and other
ingredients. Which is cooked with gentle heat, often in
a water bath. A custard differs from a pudding in that it
isn't stirred during the cooking process.
Cut in
Working butter or vegetable shortening, margarine, into
dry ingredients for equal distribution. This is done with
the help of a pastry blender and is an important
procedure in making flaky pie crusts.
Dash
A measure approximately equal to 1/16 teaspoon, a
pinch or less.
Deep-fry
To partially or completely submerge and cook food in
hot oil until golden brown.
Deglaze
Adding liquid to a pan in which foods have been
sautéed, fried or roasted to dissolve the caramelized
juices stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Devil
To add hot or spicy ingredients such as cayenne pepper,
mustard or Tabasco sauce to a food. Sauce Diable is a
classic French sauce made with demi-glace and Dijon
mustard.
Dice
To cut food into cubes. The cubes can be small, medium
or large. Dicing is slightly less exact as cubing is but still
should have uniformity.
Direct heat
A grilling method that allows food to be cooked directly
over the high heat of a flame source.
Dot
To place small bits of an ingredient such as butter on
foods at random intervals for the purpose of adding
flavor and to aid in browning during cooking.
Double a recipe
To increase recipe amounts by two.
Dough
A combination of ingredients usually including flour,
water or milk, and, sometimes, a leavener, producing a
pliable mixture for making baked goods.
Dredge
Completely coating in flour and shaking off the excess.
Drippings
Drippings are the liquids and bits of food left in the
bottom of a roasting or frying pan after meat is cooked.
Drizzle
Pouring a liquid such as as melted butter, olive oil or
other liquid in a slow trickle over food.
Dust
Sprinkling flour on a work surface to evenly coat it, or as
with spices, sugar, or bread crumbs, light coating a food
item.
Egg wash
A mixture of beaten eggs, yolks, whites, or both with
milk or water. Used in the standard breading process of
foods. May be used to coat baked goods to give them a
shine when baked. Also may be used as a sealant of
pieces of dough.
Emulsion
A mixture of oil and liquid in which tiny globules of one
are suspended in the other. Stabilizers, such as egg or
mustard may be used. Classic example is vinaigrette
salad dressing.
Entrée
In the United States it refers to the main dish. In France
it's a term that referrers to the first course of a meal,
served after the soup and before the meat course.
Espresso
A strong dark coffee brewed under steam pressure.
Popular in many European countries, it is the base for
other coffee drinks such as Cappuccino
Filet
A boneless and skinless piece of meat cut away from
the bone, usually fish.
Filet Mignon
A well trimmed center cut steak from the whole beef
tenderloin.
Fillet
To remove the bones from fish or meat for cooking.
Filter
To remove impurities by passing through paper,
cheesecloth or chinoise.
Firm-ball stage
The point where boiling syrup dropped in cold water
forms a ball that is compact yet gives slightly to the
touch. 243 degrees F.
Flambé
To ignite liquid that contains an alcoholic substance so
that it flames.
Flan
Open tart filled with sweet or savory ingredients, i.e. a
chocolate ganache flan. Second it is a Spanish dessert of
baked custard covered with caramel.
Florentine
It is food garnished or cooked with spinach.
Flute
To create a decorative scalloped edge on a pie crust or
pastry. Also mushrooms and vegetables are fluted to
give them an attractive cut and rolled symmetric
edging.
Fold
To gently combine and aerate two or more ingredients
using a bottom-to-top or side-to-side motion with a
spoon or spatula.
Fondue
A warm creamy dish made of cheese, eggs, wine,
brandy and or other items. Served warm with toasted
bread cubes, vegetables or stale bread cubes in which
the bread is skewered and then dipped in the hot
creamy mixture before eating it.
Fricassee
A stew in which usually poultry is cut up, fried in butter,
and then simmered in a liquid with vegetables until
done.
Frittata
A flat Italian style omelet that is baked and not folded.
Fritter
A deep fried sweet or savory food coated or mixed in a
batter. Conch fritters are popular in South Florida as
Corn Fritters are popular in the Southeastern United
States.
Frizzle
To fry thin julienne of vegetables in hot oil until crisp
and slightly curly.
Fry
To cook food in hot cooking oil, usually until a crisp
brown crust forms.
Ganache
A chocolate filling or coating made with chocolate, egg
yolks and heavy cream. Most often used as a filling for
truffles and coating for cakes such as Boston Cream Pie.
Garnish
A decorative piece of an edible ingredient placed as a
finishing touch to dishes or drinks. A simple rose made
from a radish or sprig of parsley is a garnish.
Giblets
The gizzard or sand sack of poultry. It's popular to boil,
skin, clean and dice these and then add them to turkey
gravy for giblet gravy.
Glaze
A liquid that gives an item a shiny surface. To cover a
food with a shiny liquid. Melted apricot jam is a popular
glaze.
Gluten
Gluten is a wheat protein that gives yeast dough its
characteristic elasticity and chewyness..
Grate
To shred food into fine pieces by rubbing it against a
coarse surface. Grating cheese or lemon rind are 2
examples.
Gratin
Food mixed together then baked until cooked, set and
golden brown. Cheese or egg yolks are often and
important ingredient.
Gravy
A thick sauce made from pan drippings, other liquids
and thickened with a starch such as a roux.
Grease
To coat a pan or skillet with a thin layer of oil.
Green Meat
Meat that has not had no aging to become tender and
flavorful.
Grill
Cook directly over the heat source on metal racks or
rods in the open air.
Grind
To mechanically cut a food into small pieces.
Halve a recipe
Reduce the amounts of a recipe by 50%.
Hard-ball stage
In candy making, the point at which syrup has cooked
long enough to form a solid ball in cold water. Between
250-268 degrees F.
Hash
A dish made of onions, leftover meats, potatoes and
seasonings. It is molded and then crisply pan-fried and
served with poached eggs and or demi-glace and
vegetables.
Herbes de Provence
A blend of herbs consisting of chervil, tarragon, chives,
rosemary and lavender. There are many recipes for this
blended used in the south of France, some may include
fennel.
Hominy
Corn kernels with the germ and bran removed with lye.
A popular Southern United States porridge.
Hors d'Oeuvres
Small individual portions of foods, canapés, served as
appetizers before a meal.
Hull
To remove the leafy and stem parts off fruits such as
strawberries.
Ice
To spread frosting on a cake, cupcake or pastry. Also to
cool down cooked food by placing in ice and water.
Infusion
Making tea is an example. Extracting flavors by soaking
them in liquid heated in a covered pan. Chefs make
herbal infusions to season delicate dishes at the last
minute.
Insulated baking sheet
A cookie sheet that has a two-layer bottom with a space
of air between to prevent hot spots.
Jell
A process to set or solidify, usually by adding gelatin.
Jellyroll pan
A baking pan with sides about an inch high. Commonly
called a sheet pan.
Jerk
A dry mixture of various spices such as habenaro chilies,
thyme, garlic, onions, allspice, ginger and cinnamon
used to season meats such as chicken or pork, a
Jamaican BBQ specialty. If made well and grilled over a
wood fire you will twitch "Jerk" when eating this very
spicy dish!
Julienne
To cut into thin strips 1/8 inch x 1/8 inch strips or
smaller, about 2-3 inches long. May be meats or
vegetables.
Jus
The natural juices released by roasting meats that have
collected on the bottom of the roasting pan.
Knead
To work dough with the heels of your hands in a
pressing and folding motion until it becomes smooth
and elastic.
Kosher salt
Salt that is coarser that regular table salt. There are
several brands but Diamond Crystal is preferred by
many chefs because it isn't flaked and doesn't contain
magnesium sulfate.1 Tbsp. of Kosher salt equals 2 tsp.
table salt in salting strength.
Larding
Inserting strips of fat into pieces of meat, helping the
braised meat stays moist and juicy during cooking. This
isn't used as much as it was in the earlier days of
cooking.
Leavener
Ingredient, (Yeast) or process (Whipping Egg Whites)
that produces air bubbles and causes the rising of baked
goods.
Line
To place layers of foil, silicone paper, or wax paper in a
pan to prevent sticking.
Loin
A cut of meat that typically comes from the back of the
animal.
Macaroni
Pasta made with flour and water and then dried.
Macedoine
A chopped or diced mixture of several fruits or
vegetables cooked or uncooked. A macedoine of
vegetables may include celery, carrots, turnips, peas,
mushrooms, chestnuts and pearl onions sautéed in
butter.
Marble
To gently swirl or layer one food into another to create
a ribbon effect when cooked and sliced.
Marinade
Liquid with is seasoned with herbs, spices and
vegetables which is used to marinate food. thus
enhancing flavor or tenderizing the item. More often
than not marinades will contain an acid like vinegar,
wine or lemon juice and sometimes an oil. The pickling
process uses a marinade in the curing process.
Marinate
Submerging a food in a seasoned liquid in order to
tenderize and flavor the food. .
Marzipan
A paste of ground blanched almonds that is cooked with
glucose and sugar. This paste is of the cooked almonds
and sugar becomes marzipan when confectioner's sugar
and egg white is added. It is used to fill and decorate
pastries.
Mash
To press or mix a food to remove lumps and make a
smooth mixture.
Mayonnaise
Cold sauce or dressing consisting of oil, dry mustard,
sugar, vinegar and lemon juice mixed with egg yolks.
Hellmann's is thought buy chefs to be the best.
Medallion
Small round or oval of lightly pounded meat such as
chicken, tenderloin, pork and veal.
Meringue
Sweetened egg whites beaten until they are stiff, light
and airy. There are 3 types---Swiss, Italian and common.
Mince
To chop or dice food into tiny, 1/8 inch or less irregular
pieces.
Mirepoix
A mixture of vegetables, 2 parts onions, 1 part celery, 1
part carrots and may also contain leeks and mushrooms
in which case the amount of onions would be
decreased. It's used as a seasoning and flavor enhancer
for the sauce that be made from it and the pan
drippings.
Mix
To stir two or more foods together until they are
completely combined.
Moisten
Adding only enough liquid to dry ingredients to dampen
them.
Mozzarella
A cheese that has a mild flavor and used in Italian-style
recipes. This cheese is best fresh and can be found in
many supermarkets in this fresh state.
Mull
Slowly heating wine, juices or cider with spices, citrus
and sugar.
Oleo
An European term for margarine, a stick of oleo is a
stick of margarine.
Pan broil
Cooking food in a heavy bottom pan without added fat,
then removing any fat as it accumulates so it doesn't
burn.
Panfry
Cooking in a hot pan with small amount of hot oil,
butter, or other fat, turning the food over once or twice.
Papillote
A cooking technique in which food is wrapped in paper
or foil pouch and then baked so that the food steams in
its own moisture and the pouch puffs.
Parboil
Partly cooking in a boiling salted liquid as in blanching.
Parboiling
Boiling foods until partially cooked.
Parchment
A non-stick, silicone coated, heat-resistant paper used
in cooking.
Pare
To peel or trim food of its outer layer of skin, usually
vegetables.
Peaks
The mounds and swirls made in a mixture; egg whites
that has been whipped are stiff if they stay upright, or
soft if they fall over. The same applies to whipped
cream.
Pesto
A sauce made of fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts,
cheese and water. Modern pesto may be made with
any fresh herbs and variety of ingredients as long as it
isn't cooked.
Pie pan
Round baking pan with slanted sides, it may be glass
(Pyrex) or aluminum.
Pinch/Dash
A small inexact measurement amount that basically add
up to 1/16 of a teaspoon.
Pipe
Using a pastry bag to squeeze a soft food through a
decorative tip to create swirled and artful wisps of the
product on to another surface.
Pit
To take out the center stone or seed of a fruit, such as a
nectarine or a plum.
Poach
To simmer in liquid that is just below the boiling point.
Usually about 208 degree F.
Pressure cooking
Cooking method that uses steam under a locked lid to
produce high temperatures and achieve a faster
cooking time.
Proof
The term used for the growth of a yeast dough's rise
prior to baking.
Proofing
The process of of yeast dough's growth leading to the
final baking.
Punch down
For yeast-risen products. After letting the dough rise,
punching it down knocks out the air before turning it
out onto a floured surface for shaping.
Purée
A smooth pureed and strained liquid pulp usually
slightly thick.
Ramekin
A small oven proof dish used for individual servings.
Reconstitute
To restore a dried food back to its original state by
adding hot or cold liquid.
Reduce
To slowly or rapidly cook liquids down so that some or
most of the water evaporates.
Reduction
Simmering and cooking a sauce so that moisture is
released in the form of steam causing the remaining
ingredients to concentrate, thickening and
strengthening the flavors. A reduced sauce is the result.
Refresh
Pouring or sprinkling cold water or ice over cooked or
raw vegetables to prevent oxidation and to retain the
fresh cooked look. Raw, wilted vegetables are refreshed
by sprinkling them with water.
Render
To melt down hard fat to a liquid fat.
Rest
In bread-making, to let the dough sit a few minutes
before shaping.
Rise
With yeast dough's, to leave the dough in a warm place
and allow to double in volume.
Roast
A method of cooking in an oven where the item isn't
covered allowing the dry heat to surround the item.
Rolling boil
Boiling water very rapidly so that stirring with a spoon
does not cause it to stop boiling.
Roux
A somewhat equal cooked mixture of flour and oil, fat
or butter used to thicken liquids. Most roux is made
with a little more flour than fat.
Royal icing
An icing used for decorating purposes. This icing
becomes solid quickly and is made with confectioner's
sugar, dash of cream of tartar and lemon juice.
Salamander
A small gas or electric broiler used to brown or glaze the
tops of certain food items, creme brulee finished under
a salamander.
Sauce
A lightly thickened liquid that adds, flavor, moisture and
visual appeal to foods.
Sauté
To cook food quickly in a small amount of fat in a pan
over regulated direct heat.
Scald
Cooking a liquid such as milk to just below the point of
boiling. To loosen the skin of fruits or vegetables by
dipping them in boiling water and then plunging them
into ice water so they can be peeled easily.
Score
To tenderize meat, fish or shellfish by making a number
of shallow often diagonal cuts across its surface.
Scraper/Spatula
A scraper is a flexible piece of rubber attached to a
handle and used for scraping food down the sides of a
pan, bowl or jar. A spatula is used to turn food in a pan,
like what is used to turn eggs over.
Sear
To quickly brown and caramelize the outside of meats
at a high temperature.
Season
To enhance the flavor of foods by adding ingredients
such as salt, pepper, and a variety of other herbs, and
spices. Also to treat a pan so it becomes non-stick.
Seize
A thick, lumpy mass when melted items get cold.
Set
Let food become solid.
Shred
To cut or tear into narrow strips, either by hand or by
using a grater or food processor.
Sieving
Pressing items through a screen or strainer to break up
the mass. It produces a lump free mixture that won't
clog a pastry tip during filling.
Sift
Removing lumps from dry ingredients such as flour or
confectioners' sugar by passing it through a strainer. It
also aerates the item making them lighter.
Simmer
Cooking food in a liquid at just below a boil point so
that small bubbles begin to rise the surface.
Simple syrup
Syrup that results from cooking 2 parts water and 1 part
sugar together, then using it warm or cold.
Skim
Removing the top layer of fat and impurities that rise to
the top of stocks, soups, sauces, or other liquids.
Slivered
A cutting shape usually meaning thin slices 1/4 inch by
1/8 inch by 1/8 inch.
Smoking Point
Temperature at which a fat begins to break down and
emit smoke.
Soft ball/Soft crack
Candy making term that denote what a ball of the
candy does when placed in a cup of cold water, 234-239
degrees F.
Spin a thread
Creating a thread that appears between the spoon and
candy when the spoon is lifted and turned. A popular
garnish on modern dessert presentations is to use these
threads in a wistful manner to call attention to the
pastry chef's artistic talents.
Spring form pan
A two-part spring-loaded baking pan in which a collar
fits around a base, the collar is removed after baking.
Steam
To cook over boiling water in a covered pan or to cook
in a special pressurized steam compartment.
Steel
A dowel shaped tool used to hone knife blades.
Steep
To soak dry ingredients such as ground coffee, herbs,
spices, etc. in liquid until the flavor is infused into it.
Stewing
Browning pieces of meat, then simmering them with
vegetables seasonings and enough liquid to cover them.
This method produces tender well cook items.
Stir-Fry
Fast frying of small pieces of meats and vegetables over
very high heat with continuous stirring in a small about
of oil.
Stock
The liquid that results from simmering bones, vegetable
and seasonings in water or another liquid.
Streusel
A crumbly baked good topping, made by combining
butter, sugar, ground nuts, spices and flour.
Sweat
Cooking vegetables over low heat in a small amount of
fat to release their moisture, flavor and to have them
look translucent..
Thin
Reducing thickness with the addition of more liquid.
Toss
To completely combine several ingredients by mixing
lightly in an upward motion.
Truss
To tie with twine to hold together a roast to maintain its
shape while it cooks.
Tube pan
A round cake pan with tall, smooth sides and a metal
tube in the middle. Often used for angel food cake, but
an excellent all-purpose cake pan for baking batters of
heavy density.
Unleavened
Baked goods that contain no ingredients to give them
volume, such as eggs, baking powder, or yeast.
Verjus
Sour juice made from under ripe grapes, it's popular as
a substitute for vinegar and has a mild grapelike flavor..
Vichyssoise
Cold soup made from a puree of the white part of leeks,
potatoes, onions, chicken stock, cream and chives.
Vinaigrette
An acidic sauce or dressing made with vinegar, oil,
mustard and seasonings.
Water bath
A storage method in which a container is set in a pan of
simmering water to keep it hot.
Whip
To quickly mix air into ingredients such as cream or egg
whites by beating until light and fluffy, it also is the the
utensil used in this whipping and whisking action.
Whisk
Fluff by beating. The utensil used for this is also called a
whisk
Whitewash
A thin mixture of 1/3 flour and 2/3 cold water that is
used to quickly thicken soups, sauces and stocks in an
emergency..
Zest
The thin outer part of the rind of citrus cut into a thin
narrow strip. It contains none of the white pith on the
inside of the skin.